The devil wears P(a)rada

The girl was provocative, and she got what she deserved. More precisely, she would have gotten what she deserved had the police not prevented her from leaving her house, thus saving her life.

No, this is not a piece of news from a far-away country. But it could be news from the near future. Our future, of course. The next peace of news may be the expansion of the irregular regulation of dress code in public institutions, which prohibits us from entering a court or municipal building the way we are – naked and barefoot, ordering us to cover ourselves according to the regulation, as if, God forbid, we were entering a church. By expanding this regulation, they may prescribe how one should dress for the street, if one does not want to be beaten up by some street thug, whose feelings (hurt) and subsequent actions (us getting hurt) are justified in advance by the state, which acts as a good parent.

Luckily, this is only the future. In the current times, the only thing that happened is that the police banned a public gathering, known amongst the people as Pride Parade, which dignitaries (although there is nothing dignified about them) are calling “Parade of Shame”.

The shadow-masters and donors of hooligans welcomed this most recent capitulation of the state. Discontent was expressed by a small minority, amongst them a group which felt it would be a shame for the equipment and preparation for the big day to go to waste; so “the kids” decided to “show social discontent” and demolish a Belgrade gym, not because gyms are the nests of latent gay men, but only because this particular gym is owned by a Frenchman. Maybe in memory of Brice Taton.

The question is: why is it so terrible, and thus unacceptable, for the government to capitulate in front of global power structures, and, for example, recognize Kosovo, and at the same time, there is no problem if it capitulates in front of a handful of unauthorized representatives of its own nation? Is it possible that Milosevic was so much better than those who came after him? For, let us be honest, when Milosevic signed our capitulation, he admitted that the state was defeated by NATO. To us, he did present that defeat as a victory, and many had believed him, but still, he was not defeated by some rebellious local municipality, but instead, but the largest military alliance armed with guided missiles. The second time he capitulated, it was in front of more than half a million rioting citizens, and not in front of several thousand guided hooligans, in front of whom his party successor, our Prime Minister and Minister of Police, capitulated (and also attempted to paint this as a victory).

Luckily, there is someone who will defend the colors of the state and police. Unlike regular policemen, communal policemen, and their syndicates, do not fear standing up to those citizens who do not respect the law. Quite the contrary. Communal policemen beat those citizens whenever they have a chance – and just because they did not have a valid bus ticket, without fear of being recorded, reported, punished, or fired. And why would they be? It would be truly unfair to punish them only because they are beating out of economic interests (to fill the BusPlus coffers), when those who want to beat us free of charge are not being punished.

Translated by Bojana Obradovic

Peščanik.net, 09.10.2012.